


we are legend

by tobihoe (writeforthesoul)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon Related, Ensemble Cast, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Origin Story, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Slow Burn, i would like to formally apologize to yamaguchi, this is darker than i originally intended im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6569491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeforthesoul/pseuds/tobihoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A power plant on the outskirts of town explodes. At first, everything seems normal, but then things start changing. People start changing. </p><p>One week later, and Hinata Shouyou's life changes forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue: one week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a huge huge thank you for my beta reader [angel](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Laureloopy/pseuds/Laureloopy) who always has my back!!!

_[Saturday, 15:52]_

Hinata chews his lips together, and then pulls them apart with a loud smack. He scrunches his eyes closed and wrinkles his nose as he pushes his lips forward in a perverse imitation of a kiss. His eyes fly open as he draws his bottom lip and his chin back, creating an annoying scratchy sound as he sucks air in through his teeth. Kageyama stares at him in horrified fascination.

"Wh... what are you _doing_?" he finally asks. Hinata gives him a big, exaggerated eye roll before dropping his head down to his chest and looking at him from beneath his eyelashes.

"I'm booooooored," he drawls.

"You have five chins," Kageyama shoots back. Hinata straightens up, glaring at his friend.

"And you've taken five whole minutes to choose what kind of milk or yogurt drink you want." Kageyama matches his glare.

"There are more choices here than in the vending machine at school!" he defends.

"Well," Hinata starts, but then falters as the ground trembles. It was faint enough that he would have thought he imagined it if it weren't for the milk drink that fell over, and the surprised look from Kageyama that matched his own. They stay frozen for a moment, scared that the ground was going to start moving if they did. Kageyama huffs out a breath.

"Let's go idiot," he says as he grabs the milk that fell over, and strides towards the front of the store. Hinata hurries after him, clutching their pork buns in his sweaty palms.

The shopkeeper tells them to hurry home as he rings their purchases through. There's no news to whether it was just a little earth tremor, or a sign of a bigger earthquake in the making. Either way, Hinata agrees with him. His mom would lose her mind if she didn't know where he was during an earthquake.

As the two teenagers step outside the shop, a fire truck goes screaming by.

_[Sunday, 12:49]_

Hinata heads over to Yachi's house for their weekly study session. Kageyama meets him halfway. Together, they make their way to their friend's building.

"They just released the news," Yachi says when Hinata and Kageyama sit down in her room. They both look up curiously. "Apparently, the power plant on the outskirts of town exploded. That's why there was the tremor."

_[Monday, 17:32]_

"We're going to finish practice early tonight," Ukai announces when the team gathers by the net. Hinata sees the disappointment wash over his teammates.

"I know, I know," Ukai continues. "But in the light of the news released yesterday, I think it's best to cut it off early tonight. They still don't know what the repercussions of the explosion will be, and I'm sure your parents are all worried about you." Takeda hums in agreement.

"It was a surprise when the school wasn't closed today," he chimes in, "but we want you all to head home now."

The team murmurs their assent reluctantly. Daichi leads them through their cheer, and they break off to clean up the gym. Hinata watches curiously as their captain pulls Suga and Asahi to the side and says something to them. Yachi also stands by them, nervously writing something in her notebook, looking strange without the usual presence of Shimizu beside her. Suga's usually gentle look hardens, and even Asahi looks determined about something. Before he can figure out what, a hand squeezes his scalp.

"Dumbass! Don't just stand there like an idiot, help me put the net away!" Kageyama growls at him.

Hinata swipes back at him, but helps him put the net away.

_[Tuesday, 06:58]_

"Are you wearing nail polish?" Tsukishima's incredulity cuts through the chatter of the boys warming up.

"Shut up!" Hinata flails at him, going bright red. "My little sister really wanted to practice so I let her!" Hinata tells the team, who have now gathered around him, looking at the sparkles decorating his nails. He doesn't tell them that Natsu had basically forced him into it, grabbing his wrist and not letting him twist away.

"I like it," Nishinoya declares, effectively clearing all dissent about Hinata's nails. Tsukishima rolls his eyes, but he doesn't argue. Hinata's pretty sure he doesn't care either way. Daichi takes the moment to clear his throat and bring attention to himself.

"As you all know there was the explosion at the power plant on Saturday," he begins. "There were several injuries, some of them quite severe, but no one died luckily." Hinata looks up. He doesn't remember this being on the news. Daichi senses the group's confusion and continues. "Suga, Asahi, and myself went to check on Kiyoko last night. She lives near the plant, and we wanted to make sure she and her family were safe. They are," he says, glaring at Nishinoya and Tanaka who looked as if they were about to take off and check on Shimizu themselves. "But her father works in the plant and was injured. She's taking a little time off school to take care of him so her mother can stay at work."

"We should bake them cookies!" Nishinoya crows excitedly. Daichi glares at him as Suga clears his throat.

"Kiyoko also told us to make sure we're safe, and that extends to all of you too," he says softly. Beside him, Daichi nods. "She said that she had a weird feeling, and her instincts are usually pretty good. So try and be safe, okay?" Nishinoya practically glows.

"Did you hear that," he yelps to Tanaka. "Kiyoko-san wished us well!" Beside him, Tanaka nods, an expression of pure bliss on his face.

_[Wednesday, 12:14]_

Hinata stares out at the grey sky, clouds threatening to downpour at any time. He wishes they were outside. His skin feels itchy and his leg bounces. Beside him, Kageyama is drooling on his desk as he sleeps, apparently having no such qualms about staying inside for their lunch hour. 

Excited chatter breaks Hinata out of his irritable reverie. He looks back from the window to see a group of classmates all crowding around something. Curious, he pulls back from his desk and joins them.

"What's up?" he asks the boy nearest him. The boy looks back with wide, excited eyes.

"Didn't you hear?" he says breathlessly. "The police caught this guy that was running around town, terrorizing people.

"I hardly think that's worth the excitement," Kageyama snorts. Hinata jumps, not having heard Kageyama wake up and come join him.

"No, no," the boy says, "that's not the exciting part! They're saying he had claws, and his eyes were glowing!" Kageyama snorts again, but Hinata stares at the boy in awe.

"Like Wolverine?" he says, sounding a little breathless himself. The boy nods enthusiastically. "That's so cool!" Hinata cheers, beaming up at Kageyama.

_[Thursday, 09:04]_

The teacher stands at the front of the attentive class. There's a humming in the air that has nothing to do with English. Hinata hasn't paid this much attention in class in as long as he can remember, and he knows his classmates, even the studious ones, feel the same.

They all know this has to do with the people that have been cropping up all around the area. The people that claim to have superpowers.

The teacher clears her throat. Her usual collected demeanor seems fragile, like she's nervous about having the intense focus of the entire class. She clears her throat again.

"The government has released a statement," she says. Hinata swears the class's focus turns razor sharp. "Anyone exhibiting signs of any abnormalities, physical, mental, or anything else, is encouraged to report it to the nearest authority, for everyone's safety. If you begin exhibiting these signs at school, we ask that you head as quickly and calmly as possible to the office where we can assist you in any way possible." With a short nod, the teacher begins the day's lesson.  


Hinata feels a sharp spike of disappointment, along with a strange sense of relief.

_[Friday 07:43]_

The volleyball goes hurtling past Hinata's face. He shakes his head to regain his focus, only to see Kageyama stalking towards him. The anger rolls off him in waves.

"Dumbass Hinata," he growls, grabbing his head. "I will personally kick your ass if you were daydreaming about being the ace again." Hinata blinks a couple times, the light around Kageyama piercing into his eyes and hurting his brain.

"I think I need to sit down," he mumbles, shuffling over to the bench. He can feel Kageyama's surprise, but doesn't look back at him. A few moments later, someone comes and sits next to him. He looks up to see Yamaguchi smiling gently at him.

"Everything okay?" he asks, genuinely concerned.

"Just a headache, I think. How about you?" Hinata grunts. Yamaguchi frowns.

"My shoulders are really achey," he says. "I think I've been practicing my jump float too much. Coach sent me over here to check on you, but I think he wants me to rest too." Hinata nods. They sit in companionable silence, Hinata with his eyes screwed shut and Yamaguchi massaging his shoulders and watching the current three-on-three. 

A whistle blows twice, signifying the end of the match. Hinata hears chatter, and then footsteps getting closer. He knows it's Kageyama before he says anything.

"You okay?" he asks roughly, sounding a little concerned for once. Hinata looks up to meet his setter's eyes, and gasps. Kageyama is surrounded by a gently pulsing corona of dark blue energy.

"Kageyama!" Hinata shrieks. "You've got a power!" The setter looks down at his hands.

"I do?" he asks, very confused. Hinata stares at him, unable to tell how he doesn't notice.

"You're surrounded by this halo of blue stuff," he yells excitedly. "Oh this is so cool Kageyama." Kageyama doesn't look convinced. Hinata rolls his eyes and turns to Yamaguchi for backup.

Yamaguchi is surrounded by a similar whitish corona, flickering and dancing like candlelight. Hinata's jaw drops. Yamaguchi and Kageyama share a concerned glance, and then without saying anything, Yamaguchi hops up to get someone and Kageyama kneels down in front of him. Kageyama presses his wrist to Hinata's forehead. His eyes widen.

"Hinata, you're really hot and sweaty. I think you have a dangerous fever and we need to get you to the hospital," he says nervously.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Suga says smoothly, Yamaguchi trailing after him. "He's probably just like that from practice." Kageyama flushes deep red, and Hinata doubles over cackling. Kageyama pulls him to his feet.

"Idiot!" he snarls. "See if I try and help you agai- woah," he says, leaning on Suga's shoulder suddenly. Their small group turns to him in concern, Hinata's smile falling off his face.

"Kageyama?" he asks hesitantly. Kageyama stands back up straight and frowns.

"Sorry, just got dizzy for a second. Stood up too fast, I guess." Suga nods and looks back at Hinata. 

"Hinata, what do you see? How are you feeling?" he asks. Hinata blinks, and suddenly the colours are back. There's one around Suga now too, a sharp, silvery light - stronger than both Yamaguchi and Kageyama's. 

"I wasn't seeing anything for a minute there, but the colours around you guys are back. And I don't feel headachy anymore. I actually feel really good," Hinata says. Now that he notices, his limbs are buzzing with energy. He's very tempted to ask Kageyama to toss for him some more.

Suga's smile is as blinding as he is.

"Hinata," he says. "I think you've developed a power." Suga watches in satisfaction as his kouhai jumps up and around excitedly. He wanders back over to where Daichi is conversing with Ukai, after making sure Hinata remembers that he should go tell Takeda-sensei about his new-found power.

"What's up?" Daichi asks, when he's finished talking to Ukai. Their coach walks off, muttering something about needing a smoke.

"I think we should go check on Kiyoko again."

_[Saturday, 00:02]_

A buzz from Hinata's phone stops him from pressing his palms deeper into his eyes. He squints against the light.

_**From: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:02] you up?_

_**To: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:02] yeah!!! whats up!?_

_**From: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:02] did you tell the school about your power_

_**To: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:02] yeah i did!!!!_

Hinata jolts in surprise and a little bit of fear when hears someone pounding on the front door. After a moment, the hallway light clicks on and he hears his dad's voice from the hallway. Leaving his phone on his bed, he goes out to see what the fuss is about.

_**From: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:02] i'm starting to have a bad feeling about this hinata_

_**From: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:02] kiyoko's missing._

_**From: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:04] hinata please answer me_

_**From: Suga-san o(^▽^)o**  
[00:05] hinata?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im super excited about writing this fic i just have a couple things to note  
> 1) present tense isnt my forte but i wanted to use it so u feel like ur experiencing everything real time  
> 2) everything is already planned out for this story but i might throw in another couple plot points to make it longer, depending on the reception!!  
> 3) IM LOOKING FOR ANOTHER BETA READER bc i dont want to overwhelm angel with everything so if ur interested, hmu here or at my tumblr  
> 4) kudos and comments are always lovely and inspire me to work harder, so if u have the chance, pls pls pls tell me what you think!! thank u so much for reading xoxoxo
> 
> [there were four characters that started showing powers - ur welcome to guess who they are/what they are ;)))]


	2. strange new world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nishinoya is being held back by a scared looking Asahi while, yelling something at Takeda-sensei, who looks like he's about to cry. Daichi is arguing with Ukai, and Suga is trying to soothe Tanaka, who also looks furious. The other second years are muttering to each other off to the side. Yachi stands by the coach and the captain, shaking and terrified. Kageyama and Hinata are nowhere to be seen, and Shimizu still hasn't come back from taking care of her father.
> 
> Tsukki takes one look and moves to waltz right back out of the gym."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is rapidly turning darker than i intended im so sorry

Tadashi wakes up feeling slightly hungover, which was strange, because he doesn't remember drinking the previous night. In fact, despite the sleep muddling his brain, he's pretty sure he's never had a drink before in his life.

And that begs the question - why does he feel so nauseous and achy and generally gross all over?

He quickly decides that, regardless of how he feels, it's too early to be awake on a Saturday. He rolls over, asleep again before his head hits the pillow.

\---

A knock on his door has him groaning. He doesn't answer, only forces the weight of his eyelids open when he hears someone's measured footsteps walk to his bed. The sleep-hazy blur of Tsukki bears down on him.

"You look like shit," it says.

"Feel like shit," Tadashi mumbles.

"You going to practice?"

Tadashi knows that if he doesn't go to practice, the chance of Tsukki not going either are pretty high. Tadashi also knows that Tsukki is slowly remembering that he loves volleyball. Tadashi does not want to be a hindrance on this growth in any way, even indirectly.

"Gimme five."

Tadashi rolls himself up into a seated position and stifles a groan. He doesn't want Tsukki to worry about him.

It doesn't matter. Tsukki notices anyway. 

"What hurts?"

Tadashi looks up and sees the flicker of concern in Tsukki's narrowed, amber eyes. He thinks about how, if he were a firefly, he'd be drawn into Tsukki's glow and left to die. He thinks about how he already exhibits most of these bug-like tendencies.

"M' shoulders, mostly," he admits.

Tsukki puts his bag down and clambers awkwardly around Tadashi on his bed. Tadashi fights a shaky inhale when he feels Tsukki's cold hands on his flaming shoulders. A spike of pain lances through him when Tsukki presses the meat of his palms into the tense muscle.

"You shouldn't over practice," he mutters. "You're ridiculously tense. Your shoulder muscles are all bunched up."

"Ngyeehhh," is all Tadashi can say, the sleep haze clearing rapidly from his brain, the imprints of Tsukki's hands on his back doing most of the work. It's like the sun burning through fog on a hot day.

With sudden clarity, he shoots out of bed, blushing furiously. Tsukki stares at him, a bemused smirk sliding onto his face.

"Good morning," he says. Tadashi blinks once. Twice.

"Good morning," he replies, fighting the urge to cover himself. Despite changing in front of each other daily, there's something different, almost intimate, about being in nothing but his boxers while Tsukki is smirking at him from his bed.

\---

Angry yelling greets them when they walk in the gym.

Nishinoya is being held back by a scared looking Asahi while, yelling something at Takeda-sensei, who looks like he's about to cry. Daichi is arguing with Ukai, and Suga is trying to soothe Tanaka, who also looks furious. The other second years are muttering to each other off to the side. Yachi stands by the coach and the captain, shaking and terrified. Kageyama and Hinata are nowhere to be seen, and Shimizu still hasn't come back from taking care of her father.

Tsukki takes one look and moves to waltz right back out of the gym. Tadashi grabs his wrist and pulls him over to Ennoshita-san.

"What's going on?" he asks quietly.

Kageyama chooses that moment to come bursting through the gym doors, drawing everyone's attention to him for a brief second, before Noya starts yelling again, and the chaos resumes. Tadashi turns back to Ennoshita expectantly, only to find him walking past him and toward the captain. 

The noise seems too loud, and Tadashi fights off a wave of nausea and dizziness. 

A piercing whistle cuts through the air, and everyone falls silent, directing their attention to Tadashi in shock. Well, not quite at Tadashi. More like beside Tadashi. At Tsukki, specifically. Tsukki, who pulls his fingers from his mouth once he has everyone's eyes on him.

"Can someone _please_ tell us what is going on?" he asks, calmly. Tadashi wants to quiver under all the focus, but as soon as it's there, it's gone again, now on Daichi. 

"Are you okay?" Tsukki asks him quietly, once everyone takes their eyes off them.

Tadashi wants to beg him to take him home, to scream and cry and yell that no, he's not okay, he feels really gross and weird, and the only thing that could make him feel better right now is if he gets to lay in bed with Tsukki, curled around him, calming himself by the steady beat of Tsukki's heart.

"I'm fine," he says.

\---

Suga doesn't realize his knee is bouncing until the weight of Daichi's hand on it stops him.

"Sorry," he murmured. The look Daichi gave him was reassuring, but also expectant. 

_Takeda-sensei winced apologetically._

_"I know it's difficult," he said to the team, who were collectively dumbstruck. "But until there are regulations put in place, or the situation is taken care of, the school has put a hold on all competitive clubs. If I could, I would let you keep practicing, but I have to return the keys to the principal in less than an hour."_

_Suga felt sick. First Kiyoko was missing, then Hinata never answered him last night, and had yet to show up to practice yet today - a strange factor as the team's decoy was early 99.9% of the time. He knew Kageyama thought something was wrong too, because he didn't hesitate when Suga asked him to check on Hinata. He just hoped the other setter hadn't decided to run all the way to Hinata's house._

_"Suga? Still with me?"_

_The words were accompanied by the comforting press of his best friend's hand on his shoulder. He snapped back to attention, only then realizing the dull roar around them._

_"I'm going to talk to Ukai," Daichi said. "I know we need to talk about other things, but can you do your best to calm those two down?" He gestured to Tanaka and Nishinoya, who looked like they were about to start a riot, and were scaring Takeda and Yachi._

_"Hey," Daichi said, swallowing uncomfortably. "Things are weird, and we'll sort them out soon, but we need you."_

He can feel Daichi watching him carefully. _I need you_. It goes unspoken, but Suga can see it in his eyes. He pushes past his own fear, the itch in his own skin, and meets the gaze of the rest of his teammates.

The sprawl out over Ennoshita's living room, where the second year had invited them to go after they were thoroughly kicked out of the gym. His parents were away on a business trip, he had explained, and his house was big enough for all of them to sit comfortably together.

Suga would have liked to see the group there again, sometime when they were _all_ there, and then tension wasn't so thick.

"So," he begins carefully. "A lot of things are changing, very quickly."

"No shit," Nishinoya snorts. His rage has tempered down slightly, but he remains irritable and on edge. Suga doesn't blame him. 

"Noya," Daichi says warningly, and this time, it's Suga putting his hand on Daichi's knee. He can feel the tension radiating there, electric.

"Sorry," he mutters, and Suga nods his acceptance.

"I don't know where to start," he confesses to the team.

"From the beginning," Tsukishima speaks up from where he's sitting by Yamaguchi, the latter looking pale and sweaty. "I know I, for one, would like to know what the hell is going on. What do you know that we don't?"

"Tsukish-" Daichi begins, but Suga waves him off.

"Everyone already knew that Daichi, Asahi, and I went to check on Kiyoko last week, right?" After the team nods and murmurs their assent, Suga continues. "And everyone knows that people have been developing... superpowers, for a lack of a better term?" 

Everyone nods again, and Suga takes a deep breath.

"The school asked everyone with powers to report it to them, so they could direct them to the correct authorities. It seemed like the right idea at first, and I agreed, but I couldn't get Kiyoko's warning out of my head. The one to be careful.

"Yesterday, at practice, we're pretty sure Hinata developed some sort of power. We're not really sure what it was, but it was like he could see colours around some people. Specifically Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and I." Suga pushes down the guilt that threatens to overwhelm him again. He notices Tsukishima shift uncomfortably, and Yamaguchi go even paler. He pushes on.

"I encouraged him to go tell Takeda-sensei, and he did. And then I went to go see Kiyoko again, to see how she was. Daichi came with me. Just-" Suga's throat closes up.

"She wasn't there," Daichi finishes for him.

_The lights were off, but Suga didn't bother worrying about it. They were close to where the power plant exploded, so chances were their grid wasn't back up yet._

_It was when he realized the door was hanging slightly open that he started feeling a kernel of worry in his chest._

_"Do you see that?" he whispered to Daichi, who nodded slowly, eyes wide. "We have to go see if everything's okay," he said, stepping towards the dark house. Daichi lunged forward and grabbed Suga's hand._

_"It might not be safe!" he hissed._

_"But what if they're hurt in there?" Suga shot back. Daichi's eyes flickered back and forth between his, before picking up a rock the size of his fist from the road._

_"Better to be safe than sorry," Daichi said to Suga's enquiring eyebrow. Without further comment, he tugged Suga to Kiyoko's house by their linked hands._

"I think she was taken."

"That's horseshit," Noya snorts. Even Tanaka looks surprised at his outburst.

"Noya, that's enough!" Suga blinks at the outburst, but it didn't come from Daichi like he expected. Instead, Asahi towers over Nishinoya, glaring. Noya blinks, and shakes his head like a dog getting water out of its ears.

Yachi squeaks and trembles in the armchair she's curled up in.

"I..." Noya says slowly, before sinking down back to his spot on the carpet wordlessly. Glowering, Asahi stalks over to the doorway and lurks there. Outside, thunder rumbles.

"Their house was empty and disheveled, like they left in a hurry, or someone went through it," he finally gets out. "We searched everywhere, but there was no trace of them in the place, and the neighbours didn't notice them leaving. Daichi and I talked it over, and we figured this has to do with the explosion at the plant, and the powers that are developing, and the government, somehow.

"I was so busy being worried about Kiyoko that I didn't think about Hinata until later." At this admission, Suga can feel Kageyama's glare. It adds to his guilt. "I texted him about it, and he texted back saying he told someone, probably Takeda-sensei, about the colour thing. I told him about my bad feeling, and Kiyoko going missing. He never answered, but I thought maybe he fell asleep. Until today. Kageyama checked at his house - there's no one there either." Kageyama looks uncomfortable at the sudden focus on him, but Daichi speaks up before he can be bombarded with questions.

"We were going to bring it up to the team, and Ukai and Takeda today at practice. Get some advice on what to do, y'know? Then they told us that school's cancelling teams, and they can't do anything about it because they have to follow faculty decisions."

There are some nods from the team. This part, they know.

"Between that and Kiyoko and Hinata going missing, both Suga and I get the feeling that we shouldn't trust them. Or anyone else."

The silence feels deafening, broken only by another rumble of thunder.

"I don't want anyone else on my team disappearing," Daichi says. His voice feels heavier than the thunder.

"So what do we do?"

It's Yamaguchi that speaks up. He's shivering, and looks awful. His voice cracks when he speaks. Suga sympathizes, his skin itching.

"We keep our powers to ourselves," Yamaguchi says, like it's the most rational thing in the world. Suga nods.

"We figured it'd be the safest thing to do. Besides the team, I'm not sure who to trust," he admits. "My dad's a police officer. That means I can't trust him." Suga's glad the team ignores how his voice cracks.

"We're pretty sure we've figured out what Hinata's power was, too," Daichi says quickly, pressing his thigh into Suga's as silent comfort. "We think he developed the ability to figure out who was going to develop a power in the future."

The room falls deathly quiet.

"Me," Suga says, feeling itchier than ever. "Yamaguchi, and Kageyama."

"You have a power?" Tsukishima asks. Suga shakes his head.

"No, not yet," he explains. "But it's just this feeling I have. My skin is crawling, almost constantly, and I feel incredibly jumpy at the smallest things. I know the situation's not standard, so there's no telling how I'd normally be reacting, but I don't think this is it. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel _off_."

"I don't feel any different," Kageyama says, frowning.

"I don't think you're right on this one either," Tanaka finally pipes up, having been uncharacteristically quiet the entire meeting. When Suga looks to him, he shrugs, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. "I just... I've been trying to open my water bottle for the past fifteen minutes and I can not get it open for the life of me."

Everyone watches him, dumbfounded. Ennoshita moves to him, and cracks the seal on the plastic bottle easily. He hands the bottle back to Tanaka, but it slips out of his grip and splashes on his lap. He stares dumbly at the puddle in his lap before sighing.

"Not being able to hold things is the most ridiculous power ever," he notes.

Noya giggles first, and then everyone is laughing hysterically.

\---

The tension snaps like a rope, Tsukishima thinks dryly. Nishinoya is doubled over, holding Tanaka's shoulder like a lifeline. Asahi comes back to the group and settles down beside the other third years, chuckling softly. Yachi relaxes her grip on the armrest, giggling. The other second years chuckle softly to themselves.

Tsukishima doesn't feel anything but concern for his friend, freckles standing out against his stark white face.

"Okay, so maybe we we're wrong about Hinata's power sensing other people's powers, but he definitely senses _something_ about other people," Suga is saying. Tsukishima is more focused on the vice grip Yamaguchi has on his arm.

"Tsukki," he says hoarsely.

"So I'm itchy, Tanaka can't hold things, is there anything from anyone else?"

Yamaguchi's eyes look wild. Tsukishima fights down panic.

"Tsukki, it hurts," he whispers.

And then he collapses with a wordless cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> id like to take this moment to recognize the fact that my original plot got hecka reworked and expanded so whoops im no longer sure how long this is going to be??? id also like to bless [ann](http://truthfulann.tumblr.com/) for betaing this in like a half hour after i asked? WHAT EVEN UR A STAR ANN
> 
> as for fic notes -  
> 1) i headcanon that yams is always super spacey and slow to wake up  
> 2) id also like to formally apologize to yams  
> 3) wheres kiyoko?? wheres hinata??? what's going on w yama?? its a mystery
> 
> shout at me on [my tumblr](http://blueberrytobihoe.tumblr.com/ask) or in the comments bc i love to hear what u guys think is going to happen yo


	3. some things change, some stay the same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nishinoya shrugs. Yamaguchi's eyebrows have crept higher and higher on his face, putting them in danger of disappearing into his hairline."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well this cryptic mess happened
> 
> [alternate chapter titles:  
> yama's eyebrows flee 2k16,  
> yama's eyebrows save lives, and Can't Catch Me Gay Thoughts - a Self-Help Guide by Sawamura Daichi]

_There's fear, overpowering fear, and anger. Misplaced anger, unusual anger, with a power stemming from it, a power greater than before. A power easy to overlook yet obvious to see. The ground rumbles from the force of it and she falls._

_A river, flowing. Fast. The water crashes around her, twisting and pulling and stealing her breath. Pink bellied salmon jump around each other, spots around their eyes brimming with kindness. They slide through the water with ease while she fights drowning. The water is too cold, but she doesn't freeze. She burns._

_One to kill. One to live. One to balance._

_Agony. Ripping, tearing, agony, and the comfort it holds. If there is agony, there is life. Fleeting life. Dust melts away from broken wings, feathers fall to the ground, ragged and dirty. She flies. Eyes made from stars smile at her, look deep into her, drain her. She falls. The shattered pieces put themselves back together._

_They begin again._

\---

Yamaguchi can hear screaming. They're calling his name. He opens his mouth to answer, but all that comes out is a shriek of pain. His back is burning, the flesh ripping and tearing itself.

He writhes in agony, flailing, reaching behind himself to do _anything_ for the pain to stop. He hears cracking and sobs. Everything shakes and he cries. The pain courses through him, bleeding him raw. He screams. 

Hands grab him and he fights, fear coursing through him - fear that his agony will worsen. 

They only hold him still. They say something. He does not know what.

The claws ripping through his shoulders and spine slow but do not stop. He can no longer hear the voice past the ringing in his ears.

He coughs and tastes iron.

Everything fades to nothing except the pain. The pain is constant, choking him. Every breath causes an ache deep in his bones. He isn't even sure if he is breathing or if it is just a memory of what used to be.

He is in pain, alone.

He doesn't remember the last time he was alone.

"Tadashi." 

He dreams someone says his name. It sends a different ache through him, a pain that distracts from the searing torment enveloping his back. Leaving would be nice. Leaving would mean the pain would end.

"Tadashi, please. Don't leave me."

It's like the voice can read his mind. Perhaps the pain drove him crazy.

"You're not crazy, Tadashi, I promise. You're speaking out loud, but I don't think you're entirely here. Please wake up."

He shudders with a deep breath. That voice, that soothing voice, pulls him from the depths.

"That's it. Just open your eyes."

Yamaguchi's eyelids slowly pull themselves away from one another. He sees the outline of his best friend hovering above him.

"Kei?" he whispers, voice hoarse and cracking. "Am I blind?" Tsukki lets out a harsh sob. 

"No, no, Tadashi, you're fine, you'll be fine." 

Yamaguchi's eyes flutter some more, and suddenly the world is clearer. Tsukki hovers over him in the dim light. His usually impassive face looks conflicted.

"Oh," he lets out a short, breathy laugh. Tears roll down his cheeks. He becomes aware of the pain pulsing through his back, fresher than before, but less extreme. Someone has placed a pillow under his head and covered him in some sort of sticky, soaking comforter.

"Tsukki, I know I've called you a wet blanket before, but I think this level of revenge is a little extreme," he jokes weakly. Tsukki lets out a laugh that sounds choked. Before he can come up with an impeccable, biting, Tsukki™ reply, Kageyama crawls under the table.

"I'm glad you're awake, Yamaguchi," he says, gentler than his normal, domineering cadence. It throws Yamaguchi off, and he wants to yell Kageyama to go back to normal, because everyone being weird is making the discomfort worse. 

"Why are we under a table?" Yamaguchi asks.

"Earthquake," Kageyama responds, sounding a little more like himself. "Tsukishima can explain while we head outside. You guys need to see this." He crawls back out from under the table, and Yamaguchi listens to his footsteps grow quieter.

"Explain," he demands to Tsukki. His friend's calculating, sharp glare seems soft.

"Let's get out from under the table first."

Yamaguchi doesn't like not knowing what's going on, but he's too ingrained in his habit of following Tsukki's every whim to complain. He sits up, pulling his blanket around himself tighter, gritting his teeth against the fresh wave of agony that courses through his body.

Tsukki hovers around him, hands out but not touching, as he makes his way out from underneath their makeshift shelter.

"If you mother me, I will murder you," Yamaguchi warns, snuggling deeper into the blanket, finding it comforting despite the gross feeling. Tsukki snickers, and the sound is more comforting than the blanket.

Everything was weird, but maybe some things would stay the same.

"So what happened?" Yamaguchi asks, after they've reached a standing position. The pain has now concentrated itself in his upper back and shoulders, but he refuses to give into it.

"You collapsed," Tsukki says, quieter than Yamaguchi would like. "You were writhing around in pain, and no one knew what to do. Pretty clear you've developed your power though."

"It is?"

Tsukki stares at him uncomprehendingly.

"Do you know what power I developed?" Yamaguchi presses.

"I... I uh-" Tsukki's voice cracks. "I'm pretty sure you can fly," he says, finally.

"Why do you think that?" he asks, as they stand in the foyer of Ennoshita's house.

Tsukishima is at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish on land. Yamaguchi catalogues the image to chuckle at later. He almost misses the way Tsukki's eyes flicker across his body.

He looks down, puzzled, eyes sweeping across himself. When he realizes, he feels like throwing up.

"Oh," he says.

The door is thrown open by Kageyama storming back in the house, but he stops short at the sight of the two of them.

"Never mind," he says. "They're right here." Yamaguchi stares out the door.

The sky is copper, any hint of blue or grey hidden. Everything looks ghastly, bathed in a bloody light.

"Oh," Yamaguchi says again. 

\---

Daichi watches carefully as the first years leave Ennoshita’s house under the sky. He tries not to stare too long at Yamaguchi, but the boy is pale, far too pale, and covered in quickly crusting blood. There's also the other thing about Yamaguchi, but, well…

Daichi tries not to stare. 

“We need a plan,” Daichi says to distract everyone from the mess that is their pinch server. 

“Can someone catch me up to what I missed?” Yamaguchi says, completely undermining Daichi’s efforts as everyone's gaze snaps directly to him. 

Nishinoya seems to recover first. 

“Sure thing, Yama-kun,” he chirps. “You went down; Yacchan lost her shit, destroyed the armchair, and disappeared; Ryuu couldn't get off his ass-”

“Yuu, I'm gonna kill you.”

“- an earthquake started, and then Asahi passed the fuck out-”

“Noya, please-”

“By the time we made sure you were both alive, and everyone was in a safe place, the earthquake had ended, and Ryuu had learned how to walk again-”

“ _I swear to god, Noya_ ,”

“-we came outside to see this. And now we're trying to figure out what to do.” Nishinoya shrugs. Yamaguchi's eyebrows have crept higher and higher on his face, putting them in danger of disappearing into his hairline. 

“How long was I out?” he finally manages. 

“Give or take, I'd say about 3 minutes.”

Yamaguchi's jaw drops. “Holy fuck,” he says, shocking the rest of the team. 

Then Suga starts giggling. It bubbles out of him - light, fizzy, addictive. It's like a breath of fresh air, and even though everyone stares at him, Daichi can see the smiles starting to turn up at the corners of their mouths. 

“I - ah- I'm sorry,” he gasps. “That was just so ridiculous!”

Oddly enough, Tsukishima is the next to break. 

“I can't help it,” he snickers when Yamaguchi glares at him. “The look on your face.” Then Nishinoya and Tanaka are cackling at each other, and even Kageyama cracks a smile. 

Daichi lets out a couple of heavy chuckles. _We still need to find Hinata and Shimizu_ , the ugly part of his brain thinks. _And track down Yachi and figure out who we can trust. Oh, and figure out how the hell this superpower thing works._

He watches Sugawara smile fondly at the team, the copper glow of the sky casting a reddish hue on his silver hair.

 _Shut up_ , he thinks to the ugly part of his brain. His chest feels lighter already, and he smiles at his team. 

Daichi couldn't care less if the goddamn apocalypse is upon them. He's got his team and Suga by his side. He's ready for anything.

\---

For being kidnapped in the middle of the night, Hinata figures things could be a lot worse.

The room he was brought to had a cozy bed, its own TV and stereo, and a few books to read. It even had a little ensuite bathroom. The only thing that was strange was the fact that the door locked from the outside, but they assured him it was just for safety reasons - the whole 'superpower' business was new to them as well, and they were just doing their best to prevent any accidents.

Hinata exhausts himself pacing in the little room and finally flops down on the bed. It must be nearly two in the morning by now, but he doesn't feel like sleeping.

_"Can I help you?"_

_"We're here from the Miyagi Institute. Is your son, Hinata Shouyou, home?"_

_"I don't see how that's any of your business. What the hell is the Miyagi Institute?"_

_"It's a new government project concerned with the developing superpowers of citizens across the prefecture following the recent explosion at the power plant. Shouyou recently registered with his school as showing signs of a power. We recommend he come to the Institute, so our trained specialists can assist him in the development of his power, for the safety of both everyday citizens and himself."_

_"You have no right to come to our home in the middle of the night and try to take our child away from us. Shou is _not_ a danger."_

_"We are incredibly sorry if we implied that. We simply recommend the Institute as a preventative measure against any possible danger. As Shouyou's legal guardians, you are more than welcome to choose whether or not you would like him to attend. However, we must insist that you consider our recommendation."_

_"How long would he be away?"_

_"We require new members to undergo a two day testing period which will help our specialists determine what sort of power they possess. After that, most do not stay for more than two weeks, but we often recommend they stay as long as they need to feel comfortable."_

_"Two weeks? That's a long time to be away from school..."_

_"Any children of school age will be enrolled in six hours of supplementary classes each day. It is recommended to keep them up to date with their own schooling, and their minds healthy."_

_"And how exactly do you expect us to pay for this?"_

_"As this is a government program, all charges are paid through taxpayer money. As the Institute is so highly recommended, we keep it available for all citizens."_

_"And you recommend this?"_

_"The Institute is the best place for Hinata Shouyou."_

Hinata wakes up to the sound of a door opening. He opens his eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them, confused, and trying to figure out why he's not in his room at home.

"Hinata Shouyou?" a voice asks. Hinata sits upright and blearily regards the woman in front of him. She appears to be a doctor from the lab coat she's wearing and the stethoscope around her neck. 

Everything comes rushing back to Hinata - the colours, the midnight visitors, his father dazedly agreeing to send him to this place.

The doctor smiles at him kindly.

"It's okay to be a little out of it," she says. "I know everything happening is a lot to take it. My name is Dr. Mizushima Youko. I'll be the one running your tests here." There's something about the way her eyes crinkle when she smiles, or the soothing cadence of her voice that helps Hinata trust her. He takes a deep breath.

"Hinata, could you tell me everything you remember happening over the past couple days?" Dr. Mizushima asks. Hinata frowns, thinking back.

"I was at the shop with my friend when the explosion happened," he starts slowly. "I don't remember anything out of the ordinary until the middle of the week? That's when the rumours started around school about these people that were being rounded up by police. And our teachers told us to let someone know if we thought we were developing a power." Dr. Mizushima hums, jotting something down on her clipboard.

"When did you start showing signs of a power, Hinata?"

"It was... Friday night? Yeah, afternoon volleyball practice," he says. Dr. Mizushima looks up sharply.

"You were on your school's volleyball team?"

Hinata nods, frowning.

"I'm just checking your file here, and it says you went to Karasuno High School?"

Hinata nods again.

"Interesting."

"Sorry, what's interesting about that?" he asks, brow furrowing deeper.

"Oh, I'm sorry to confuse you!" Dr. Mizushima laughs. "We're just trying to determine if there's any correlation between the level of power different individuals show in regards to where they live or spend most of their time. So for example, if someone was closer to the blast, they may develop stronger powers, and vice versa. So far, we don't have enough data to make any conclusions, but every bit helps." Her smile puts Hinata back at ease. "Now, you started developing something at your Friday afternoon practice? What happened?"

"It started with a headache," Hinata continues. Dr. Mizushima nods, encouraging him. "I was pretty spacey too - I remember my... friend yelling at me about it. I got really dizzy and had to sit out, and then I started seeing these colours around a few of my teammates. And that was it." Hinata shrugs.

"Did anything weird happen beside the colours?"

"I started feeling a lot better, more energized, after the colours showed up? Nothing else beside that." Dr. Mizushima nods again, scribbling something else down.

"Can you still see the colours?"

"No," Hinata frowns. "They only showed up for a brief time. I haven't seen them since."

"And what about the teammates you saw the colours on? Did you notice anything off about them?" Hinata thinks back, remembering.

"One of them got really dizzy after helping me up, but that's about it. The other two seemed normal." Dr. Mizushima purses her lips.

"We might look into him, but if the others were normal, it's probably just a coincidence. How were the rest of your teammates, even the ones without the colours? Notice anything different about them?"

"Everything was normal," Hinata says, and sighs.

"I'm sorry this is boring you," Dr. Mizushima adds with another kind smile. "But we're getting to the fun, practical part now. We're going to be exploring what triggers your power and, more specifically, what it is. I'll let you get changed then we'll head over to the testing wing of the building."

"Great!" Hinata jumps up as Dr. Mizushima heads to the door, excited to finally do something and burn of the energy thrumming through his limbs. A sudden thought hits him. "Dr. Mizushima?"

"Yes, Hinata?"

"You asked if anything was different about the team?" Dr. Mizushima nods. "I didn't think of it at first, but one of our managers was missing all week. Her father was injured in the blast, so she was taking care of him. Her name's Shimizu Kiyoko."

Dr. Mizushima's smile falters, but it happens so quickly, Hinata wonders if he just imagined it.

"Thank you Hinata," she chirps. "I'll be back in ten minutes to collect you!"

The door locks from the outside with a slightly ominous click.

\---

The doctor collects the clipboard from the nurse. She flips through the charts with a growing frown.

"This doesn't make sense," she finally snaps. The nurse winces.

"I know, it's odd," he begins. The doctor cuts him off with a glare.

"Odd?" she snarls. "It's completely unprecedented! How can a child - a mere _child_ \- be showing such incredible power levels? None of our tests have shown anything like her!"

The nurse casts a terrified glance to the bed and the slim form laying in it peacefully.

"We can't even do anything," the doctor growls, "because she's unresponsive to absolutely everything. Did you check her vitals again?"

"Everything's in ideal form," the nurse says quickly. "She's very healthy."

"Besides being comatose."

"Er, well, yes. Besides that."

Both the nurse and the doctor look up as the power goes out. There is a moment of darkness and quiet before the emergency generators kick in with a hum. With a lurch, the patient sits up. Her eyes snap open, revealing electric blue eyes that dart around wildly. 

"They're in danger," she gasps, trembling. The nurse rushes to her side.

"You're okay, everything's okay," he says, trying to soothe the girl. The doctor strides over.

"You're in the Institute now. We're here to help. We need to know everything you can tell us," she demands. The girl's eyes roll back into her head.

" _ **The first flies the second changes the third destroys. The first lives the second freezes the third dies. The first attacks the second defends. The first survives the second takes. The first manipulates the second grows. The first eats. The first burns. The first sees. The first knows. The others are coming.**_ "

With a sigh, Shimizu Kiyoko falls back onto her pillows, unresponsive once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, god bless [ann](http://truthfulann.tumblr.com) for taking the mess i presented her and turning it into this. she's also the main driving force behind alternate chap titles so i bow down to u ann
> 
> secondly, i hope u dont want to kick [me](http://blueberrytobihoe.tumblr.com) too much but hey i dont blame u one bit
> 
> thirdly and lastly, i want to hear what you think!!! this story started with a set plot and chapters but lord knows that's the distant past now, so even though im staying true to my main plot lemme know if u wanna see more of certain characters! comment away :)))


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